Absence Jessica Jiang I heard it in the pouring rain and screeching tires.
The world cried when you left. and i felt nothing- I tasted it in burnt omelets and takeout pizzas for breakfast. My mom froze when you left. and i felt hungry- I touched it in ripped photographs and broken shards of glass. The tax collectors came when you left. and i felt scared- I saw it in the twitching antennae of the cockroaches on the glue trap. My dad left when you left. and i felt mad- I smelled it in the olive oil on your flesh and the ashes when they cremated you You smiled when you left. and i felt ...
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2 dollars
Jessica Jiang how much is my love worth to you? is it 2 dollars and some words on a faded newspaper do you have time to teach me one last lesson? i know you’re in a hurry but stay a little before you go because you’re the first i’ve ever loved and im afraid that when you leave me, ill never come to life again you said that i colored you red and blue and together we make up the american dream and we’ll hope hopeless just to prove them wrong but ive never been pictured white and black just doesn't go with purple, they say that’s the reason why you left, ill never come to love again winter has gone by, in the cold you stole my heart summer has just passed through, under the sun you sold my trust its now auctioned to the highest seller i wonder what promises they would break and which ones ill choose to keep ive come with love again with 4 dollars are tucked in my pockets, i think ive finally saved enough to buy some lights there’s all this wonder in my eyes and when im wandering around looking for 2 more dollars i see my reflection in the mirror the look of an 8-year old stares right back at me trying to find her place in the world i turn my head to look away and catch a pair of a stranger’s eyes a piece of me dies every time Numbers Jessica Jiang Art by Hiruni Kumari One is the loneliest number, Jealous of other people, And wishing to have others to talk to. Two is the loneliest number, Either fighting or being hurt, Or purposely ignoring each other. Three is the loneliest number, Being the third and last wheel, Accidentally forgotten. One wishes to be three, A group of friends laughing together. Two wishes to be one, Satisfied and independent. Three wishes to be two, Without the forgotten annoyance. No Time
By Jessica Jiang Small jokes and inside conversations Averted eyes, plastered smiles Say you got no time, no time No time, gotta go, too much to do Pulled-low hats, wind blown hair Hand squeezed, lips locked, People saw but we don’t care Saw you laughing, it wasn’t with me Heard you crying, not on my shoulder Thought you were talking, not to me Call you up, late at night Early morning conversations used to feel so right But all you say is no time, gotta go There’s so much I have to do I’ll call you next time, when you’ve got more Lightning sparks across dark skies Red-chested birds, no heart, that still fly Saw them all, under the umbrella that you brought Said that it's going to be romantic, that’s what you thought Didn’t think that we’ll be soaked but that’s the way we kissed Now all you say, all I hear is no time no time No time for love, no time for good nights, and sweeter dreams Heard you fell in love, what do those words mean No time no time, all you say All I hear, there’s the door, it’s that way Sweetheart
By Jessica Jiang because you know i am only Alive with my greased stained Hair and with my blood-stained Shirt. because you are Loved. but only because you are Beautiful. they look upon you and only see cupid shaped Lips. and only see a belly button, Crop Tops. they say, show some skin, Darling. i want to see all of You are nothing more than a Mirage, a reincarnation of a forgotten Ghost. show some love, Honey. but they only need you for your Looks. and you’re just a parade, full of fireworks. and then, Nothing. no more love, for you, Sweetheart. Numbers Jessica Jiang I do not understand why numbers dictate our lives. 100's and 90's and 80's and what did you gets and how did you dos. I do not get why titles personify us or why digits defines who we are. Don’t tell me that you don’t get that sense of exhilaration when you smile, cock your head and say “I got a 95, what ‘bout you?” Because you tried so hard to get that grade. You went to the AIS tutoring session, you went to an ARISTA peer-tutoring session, and you studied the material a week in advance. But in the end of the day it’s just a number. Your report card is just a number. Your college application is filled with numbers. Your. Life. Is. Filled. With. Numbers. And why, what for? To get into Harvard, to get into Columbia, to get into Yale, to get into Princeton, to get into what? To get a good job, to get married, have kids, to live the American Dream. But you don’t need numbers for that. You don’t need the titles and the reputation that an Ivy League college brings. And all that stress, all that sleep deprivation and for what? To get a good job? To marry right? To have kids? But that person to your right... He’ll marry, he’ll have kids, and he will eventually die. That person to your left... She’ll also marry, she’ll also have kids, and then she’ll also die. So why are you letting that 65 define who you are if everyone in life ends up exactly in the same place? What are your afraid of? Ending up as a late-night shift Walmart worker? Do you see that 65 as an omen that you’ll be a McDonald's employee some point in your future? It isn't. Numbers don’t foretell what you are in life. A math test or an SAT score doesn't determine your goddamn salary number. |
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